The Atlanta Hawks‘ decision to trade back in the 2018 NBA draft has linked two players for their entire careers, and possibly beyond. The Hawks traded pick No. 3 to the Dallas Mavericks, receiving pick No. 5 in the draft and the Mavericks’ first-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
The players involved were none other than Luka Doncic and Trae Young, the respective superstars of their franchises. Their futures are linked by this trade and we have seen this narrative continue this season due to Doncic leading the Mavericks into the Western Conference Finals before suffering the Gentleman’s Sweep, losing 1-4 to the Golden State Warriors.
Of course, television analysts, eager for greater ratings talked about the difference between Young and Doncic talked about how Doncic was progressing further than Young. One analyst even wrongly said that Young had been swept in the playoffs last season. As Young rightly questioned, how do you get swept in six games?
1st team ever to get swept in 6 games🤦🏽♂️😂 .. kids don’t think everybody on tv know what they’re talking about. https://t.co/YwrilnkFJP
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 28, 2022
The Atlanta Hawks made the right call in choosing Trae Young
While this trade has been revisited over and over, getting information right, especially when going to a large audience is crucial. The NBA media have constantly disrespected Young, a fact which has started to be resolved by his voting to the All-NBA third team which will have a massive impact on the Hawks roster.
However, there is a massive difference between the two players. Young is a player who is being built around, this season he put up historically significant numbers on his way to helping the Hawks get into the playoffs. This is despite a horror run with injuries and illness.
Doncic has had multiple trades with other star players, and the Mavericks’ last championship coach, Rick Carlisle, choosing not to remain with Doncic. There are many reasons for this, but mostly it seems to be usage percent.
Young had a 34.4 usage percent this season with is equal to that of the all-time leader in this category over his career, Joel Embiid. However, this pales compared to Doncic who had a 37.4 usage percent which is the highest ever in the history of the league.
While three percent appears not to be a huge number, it appears to have been enough to put star players offside. Both of these players are top-level talent in the NBA, both of them are going to make their mark on the league but the Hawks star seems to be a player willing to work with others whereas Doncic seems to want others to work with him.
This is a minor difference in thinking but one which could make the difference between a championship. The Atlanta Hawks have put their money on building around Young which, despite the way this season ended, is the right call.